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Hyderabad: Around 50,000 workers of the electricity department announced on Thursday their decision to go on a strike from April 17, to press for a salary hike backdated from April 1, 2022, as per the Pay Revision Commission’s suggestions. Field-level employees have also listed a 29-point demand, including the implementation of a single master scale, personal pay and medical facilities, among other demands.
The Telangana State Power Employees Joint Action Committee (TSPEJAC) and five unrelated unions took a joint call on the matter and said they will serve strike notice to the management of power utilities on Monday.
The move comes after the unions and management could not come to an agreement even after several rounds of talks. Following a maha dharna held by the workers on March 24, another round of talks was held on Wednesday, but in vain.
TSPEJAC convenor Ratnakar Rao told Media “There is no response from the managements of power utilities so far. We will issue a strike notice to the management on Monday. Employees are forced to strike as the management failed to settle the pay revision.”
The CMD of TS Genco and Transco, D. Prabhakar Rao, urged workers to resolve issues through talks and discard plans of a strike. “As per the approval of the state government, we offered a six per cent hike in salaries of employees. A committee will look after the EPF to GPF conversion of employees appointed between 1999 and 2004,” he said.
It is to be noted that strikes by power utilities workers are disallowed under the Essential Services Maintenance Act, 1968.
Sources said that the management is planning alternative measures, given that around 16,000 employees participated in the maha dharna on March 24.
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